russian lingo...day #1

today marked our first real day to be in language lessons for four hours. it is literally like going back to being an infant...knowing nothing but thee simple words that are the same in both languaes. i have familiarized myself with the alphabet...and can pronounce everything when given enough time. i can even sound out and spell words...it just might take me a second. today we also learned the basics of an intro conversation in russian. kak dela? meanin how are you? (sidenote: that is the phoenetical spelling...my kindle cant type in russian. not quite cool enough!)

i am checking my email and facebook fairly regularly (daily) so please drop me a line if you get a chance :) havent really felt homesick yet...ive just got a lot of time on my hands. read my nicholas sparks book safe haven in about 48 hours. not sure which book i will tackle next. maybe th hp series :)

i watched a ukrainian version of fear factor with my host sister this weekend. it was quite emtertaining...even tho i couldnt understand a lick of it. i plan on treatimg myself to an epsode or two of friends tonight :) afteri go over my notecards one more time. tomorrow our cluster group will hopefully go get ukrainian cell phones! excited for that.

i love my cluster group...feel like we all get along really well and that we lucked out with our teachers. our anguage teacher is SO patient with us...even when we ask the same question abut tem times. i would definitely lose i if i were her. and our cross cultural facilatator seems ready to help us at the drop of a hat. very excited amd blessed to have them as my teachers! m host family continues to amaze me. the sweet mom (gala)thinks i need to eat all the time. and shes caught on that meat isnt really my thing...so she has a few pieces of chicken for me in the fridge. i try whatever she makes for everyone else...i even tried a piece of chicken liver :) tonight it was some little dough with meat in it that was quite good. i think it was sausage. my host sister (christy) is fourteen and in her fourth year of english class. i think that is why they sigmed up to be a host family. the dad andrew is quite funny. hewont say much to me...but then all of a suddem starts on this lomg russian sentence that i have no clue what it means.christy looks at him like hes crazy...seems like a typical teenage daughter/parent relationship to me :) even halfway across the world!

they constantly show interest in me...even when i cant understand them...which means so much. i truly cant wait to carry on a real conversation with them some point soon!

guess ie written enough. if you read this far...please ecuse all of the mispelled words. my fingers dont always hit the right button and i dont wsant to correct this whole thing! tata for nw :)

my first real day in oster

oster...the place i will live for the next three months. it has about seven thousand people livimg in it. today, my cluster got together at ten am to go over some culture things,make sure everyones host family is going well, etc. it was loads of information (but good info i need!) and we also got about ten pounds of study materials and resources. good thing my teachers apartment is about one hundred feet away from my house! after going home to eat lunch at one thirty, we decided that our cluster group would meet back up and walk around the city. zhenya (my lcf..language and cross cultural facilitator) joined us luckily. she walked us down the main road and to the city park... saw the two churches (one of which is one thousand years old...i think!)...went to the store to get some snacks and such, etc. dont know if my family will go o church tomorrow or not... but they do have two icons above their bed.

i got a milka candy bar at the store... pretty excited to eat it at some point. well... think that is all for now. i would like to study a little before supper. this blog update brought to you by my kindle... hence the no capitalization!toodleloo

couldn't be happier...

i am in my bed at my host family's house. let me tell you a few things that made me really happy today.

i figured out how to get facebook to work on my kindle. this thimg never ceases to amaze me. thanks again crow fam :)

it snowed today...and i LOVE snow. erego, great day.

i arrived at my host family''s house and was greeted by their oldest daughter who speaks english. she doesnt live here...but it made today much better.

and perhaps the thimg that i have been most excited about...UNPACKING!!!! i have wanted to do this since arrivimg in dc...and i finally could today. how thankful i am that its finally done and my mass of clothes are finally organized is truly unexplainable.

first cluster group meeting tomorrow mormimg at 10 am. thankful to get to sleep in. that's all for tonight...ps, it' hard to do capitalization and punctuation on my kindle..sorry for all of the errors!fare thee well. off to read the newest nicholas sparks book.

My Cluster Group Assignment!

Today was another full day at our Arrival Retreat in Chernihiv. I had my first Russian language lesson which went surprisingly well. I really LOVED my teacher...her name is Zhenya. There were actually about 10 of us in a language lesson this morning...but my cluster group will be composed of 4 other people (1 girl, 3 guys). These 4 people plus our language teacher (Zhenya) will be my extended family for the next 3 months. The city that we will live in is called Oster (pronounced Ostyer I believe)...which is about an hour northwest of Kyiv (the capital). It is actually located about halfway between Kyiv and Chernihiv (another large city)...so hopefully I will get to to do some exploring in those cities before I am moved to my permanent site for 2 years!!

We also had our first serving of borscht today for lunch...quite scrumptious! I'm pretty sure I consumed at least 7 pieces of bread today. Ridculous, I know. Let me TRY to explain :) For breakfast, there was yogurt and granola (which is more than plenty for me to eat in the morning), coleslaw, 2 soft-boiled eggs (I gave mine to the guy sitting next to me), bread (white and wheat), ham, cheese (I made a ham and cheese sandwich on 2 pieces of bread), hot milk, a juice box of fruit punch type stuff, and hot tea/coffee. That is about enough food to last me all day...and that was for one meal. For lunch, we started off with veggies on a plate (cucumber, red peppers, and tomatoes), bread, borscht (which had special rolls that were to be dipped in it...amazing!), and just as I was eating the last of the borscht, the main course came out...chicken and potatoes! It was too good not to eat, but I literally felt like I needed to unbutton my pants after that. It was all so scrumptious that I hated to waste any...so I basically didnt :)

Well, I need to go to bed now. More to say...but it will have to wait! Goodnight! I meet my host family tomorrow...YIPPEEEEEE :)

And the language I'll be learning is...

I made it safely to Ukraine! Finally! We left DC Tuesday (March 21, 2011) at 1:30 pm...headed to the Dulles International Airport that was about 30 miles away. It was utter chaos in the lobby at 1 pm when everyone was supposed to be meeting up with their travel buddies...think 106 people, with 100 of those people have 2 {heavy} checked suitcases, and most people having 2 carry-ons as well. It was a giant disaster. I have pictures, but the internet is a little shotty right now and I don't want to try to upload pics yet. More interested in getting a blog entry posted before I pass out from exhaustion!

It took us at least 2.5 hours to get everyone's baggage unloaded off of the 3 charter busses we took to the airport, checked-in, and through security. We flew Lufthansa from DC to Frankfurt, Germany...which was about an 8 hour flight. Luckily, it was overnight flight and I slept a little bit (read 2 hours maybe). Then we had a layover for about 2.5 hours (and had to go through security again) and finally left on another Lufthansa flight headed for Kiev this time! On both of the flights, we were given this combination of meals: dinner on the first flight (I got veggie pasta...not too shabby! I even ate zucchini...), breakfast on the first flight (fruit--yum! and some bread), and then breakfast again on the second flight (this was the interesting meal...eggs, potatoes, and spinach in one container and bread and a macaroon of some sort I think...). I couldn't eat the spinach or eggs...but the potatoes were great! After finally arriving in Kiev, we then were greeted at the airport with a ton of other PC employees holding up signs and helping us get our luggage. They threw it all in the back of this giant green u-haul type box truck, and we loaded up onto three charter buses (sidenote: people who went to Eastern Europe with me in 2004, the buses were very similar! They had a 2nd entry door halfway back, and 5 seats across in the back row. I, of course, sat in the back row with my new friends.). We were then on the charter bus for a good 2+ hours...going to our destination which I'm not sure what the name of it is. We are at the PC Arrival Retreat...and are staying at 2 different hotels very close by. Tomorrow morning, breakfast will start at 8 am and at 9 am, we go to our "cluster groups," which is the people that we will be in class with for the next 3 months. Would you like to know what language I'll be learning? I can't decide if I should post it or not yet...or maybe let the anticipation build up a little :)

Upon arriving at the hotel, we put our 2 pieces of checked luggage in a holding room. My shampoo and conditioner and face wash are in my big bags, but I have NO clue where they are packed...so I had to borrow or make due without. Luckily, my good friend Hayley was willing to share :) she's my Bama girl. They've split us up at the hotels by what we'll be doing here in Ukraine...so all of the Youth Development people are together. Quite nice actually!!

On Friday, we will meet our host family for the first time! Eeek! Can't wait. That also means that we can finally unpack some of our stuff for the first time. I am absolutely DONE dealing with luggage. When we arrived at the airport yesterday, they informed us that if our carry-on bag did not fit in the compartment that we could not carry it on with us...but that they would check it for free. That sent everyone in a PANIC because our bigger carry-ons typically had our business attire for the next few days, chargers, toiletries, etc. It turns out they could have fit, but I was just as happy not to have to deal with dragging it around (it probably weighs 40 pounds). We think that they told all 106 of us that they would check them for free because there really wouldn't have been any way that everyone's luggage could have fit overhead and at our feet on our long flight. So...long story short. All of my worrying and freaking out about luggage is done with! I don't have to meet any weight requirements or anything else for a long, long time!

I'm pretty beat right now. So I think I will go try to get to sleep. There is still snow/ice in some spots on the grass and other areas! It was definitely a bit windy when we all unloaded outside of the hotels...I felt like I was in Oklahoma again! And I'm definitely glad I have a lot of coats and layers. It is late spring right now...and there is still snow on the ground! There was also a giant pond we passed that was still frozen. Pretty crazy! I think I better head to bed. Goodnight! Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. Much appreciated :) been a great day and I can't wait to see what lies ahead.

Oh, and I guess I'll go ahead and tell you...I'll be learning...

RUSSIAN :)

I (finally) made it to DC!

Let's just say, today was a day to go down in the books. I have waited for this day, to finally GO, for the past year. But I really have waited many, many years for this opportunity to present itself. Today's word of the day is finally, in case you haven't figured it out :) I'll probably use it at least 10 more times in this post. Just be prepared.

My day started at 9 am when my dad came to start waking me up. I finally (1) got up at 9:30 (completely groggy because I took a Dramamine to go to sleep last night). Took a shower...couldn't eat because I was so nervous/filled with anticipation! My mom was finishing sewing in extra lining into my down coat. Mitchell came by to say farewell :)

And to draw on the car (excuse the dirt...) and we were off to the airport by 11:35 am. Flight was supposed to leave at 2:30 pm. More on that later.

After getting my bags checked, my parents and I waited for friends to come see me off. They left right after church...so it was at least 12:30ish by the time they got up there. Amy and Susan Carruth were the first to arrive :) started tearing up immediately. Here's a pic of Amy and I from Eastern Europe 2004.

Lydia, Karen, Amy, Melissa, and our adult sponsor, Heather.

Then others started showing up :) so touching to see all of these people when I'm leaving.

Front row: Tino, Dymir, Susan, Cary, Lydia, Lyndsay, Katie, Ashley

2nd row: Sarah, Amy, Marissa, Maddie, Allison, Sarah, Sydney, Shannon, Bennett, Nathan, Jeff

3rd row: Pirtle, Stephanie, Schlegel, Scott, Britney, Gracie

It was overwhelming to say goodbye to everyone...and it totally didn't feel real (it actually still doesn't feel real, that this is finally {2} happening). Let's just say, that tears were shed, hugs were given, and lots of smiles were shown. Love each and every one of you. Don't have a pic on my camera of my parents and I, but hopefully Mom will send me a few!

I got through security, feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and honestly just wanting to sleep. Then, I found out my flight was delayed. Turns our Chicago had grounded all of their flights for the time being because of a severe thunderstorm passing through the area. That put a damper on my flight to/from Chi-town. Great...

Let me take a side note and say this: for the past week, I have felt like something was going to go wrong with my flight. I was supposed to be meeting Hayley for the first time in DC upon arriving...she wouldn't have her cell phone with her...and I just felt like something wasn't right. So sure enough, that proved to be the case. Getting back to the story...

I quickly called my brother to see whether I should try to get a different flight or stick with the Chicago one...knowing how backed up O'hare can be, my brother convinced me to go with the sure fire plan of arriving in DC at 11 pm (as opposed to 9 pm). This flight took me through Houston now. Approximately 5 minutes later, after getting settled in at my new gate number (still in OKC), the OKC Airport fire alarms start going off. There are maybe 10 people at my gate, no airport personnel, and no one knows what to do. The sirens are going off as well as a voice telling us to evacuate the building. And NO one has any clue as to what we're supposed to do. The emergency doors leading outside are locked because they lead out to the tarmac. lol...so we all just stood around in the middle pathway of the airport. Quite entertaining really. Eventually, the sirens go off and they come on to tell us that the fire alarm was actually just a test. Don't you normally tell people that before you start it?

OH, I forgot an important part to the story. While my support crew was saying goodbye at the check-in counter, a screaming child was also checking in. Amy looked over and said, I bet that kid is on your flight. And she was unfortunately correct. However, I didn't end up TAKING that flight, so it worked out quite nicely. And the family of the said screaming child had one of those airport rental carts that they left at the door...so I took it and put my 40+ pounds of carry-ons on it. It was glorious :) and served as a good foot rest too...

My flight finally left at 5:05 pm, and I flew straight to Houston on one of those tiny 2-1 seater planes. Realizing that I would arrive there and have to SPRINT across the Houston airport to another terminal, I was incredibly nervous. I had facebooked Hayley, explaining that my flight was delayed and that she'd need to get her own taxi. Little did I know that her original flight was also 2 hours delayed as well. Perfect! I made it to my flight (practically running) and didn't have time to grab a drink or supper. BUT, I made it...and might have been sweating, but I got on the plane! As I was giving the lady my boarding pass, she asked me who else I was traveling with because I had so much stuff. Whoops... :) On the plane, I had a nice gentleman help me put (read squash) my carry-on bag up top. And I lucked out and had one of the few empty seats on the plane next to me! Perfection.

Got to watch the sunset while on board...

I arrived into DC National airport at 11 pm...and hoped that Hayley's flight was still the same! She got in around 11:30...and off we went to the hotel. I've got a great picture of Hayley with all 8 suitcases of ours (2 checked bags each, plus 1 carry-on and 1 personal item). That will have to be for tomorrow's upload. Upon arriving at our hotel, we saw what looked like another PC volunteer looking tired and carrying a heck of a lot of luggage...and sure enough there was Ben! Turns out none of us had had time to eat dinner, so we met back up a bit later to order pizza. During our time in the lobby, we met maybe 10 other people with PC :) fun times. My roomie for my 2 nights in DC is Noelia, a Texas girl! She also went to school in Boston so it was nice to have instant connections.

I'm pooped and ready to sleep...thank you for all of the kind words over the past few days. I have felt incredibly loved and can't wait to share my story. Hopefully more tomorrow :) PC stuff starts at noon. Night night!

My last post from Oklahoma for a while!

Greetings friends,

Tomorrow (which is really today) is the big day!!! I am finally off to DC to meet up with some of the other PC volunteers who could not get an early flight on Monday for staging. I'm quite thankful I don't have to wake up early Monday morning and get on a plane...only to arrive in DC and get whisked away doing PC activities.

My mind is a little fried at the moment...kind of on overload. My mom is still up (of course...the Frost women are night owls at heart...) sewing some extra lining into my down jacket. This is typical btw, for my mom and I to still be up working on a "project." I think this entry calls for a few bullet notes because my brain is all over the place right now.

• At 5:30 pm today, one of my best friends Mitchell rang the doorbell to mi casa. He lives in Dallas...and it is busy season for accountants, so this was a big deal for him to leave RIGHT after work and drive up to see me off :) He also happened to arrive just at the moment I was about to burst into tears because I couldn't get everything to fit in my carry-on. I pride myself on being a good packer, and it was NOT working for me. After dinner, he got it all to fit :) looks like I'm not the best packer in the world after all. Thanks, Mitchy :)
• Many last minute errands were run today by my parents. Kudos goes to them being able to help. Couldn't have done it without them.
• My church's spring break trip down to the Rio Grande Valley got back tonight around 10:30 pm. Mitchell and I went to greet them...so glad to see them all :) Many, many hugs.
• Some of my friends and church family are coming up to the airport tomorrow right after church to see me off. My flight leaves at 2:30 pm. Anyone who knows me, knows I'll be getting there at least 2+ hours before the flight. Call me crazy, but I like to be prepared. And I'm OCD.
• Tonight is my last night to sleep in my bed that I love. With all 1324035 pillows. I'm taking one pillow with me (my little pink one). BIG deal! I plan on sleeping well and sleeping in a little!
• I have never been so tired of packing in my life. From packing up my stuff, to packing for a garage sale, to packing for 27 months, it's all annoying. And I'm sooooo ready to be done with it.
• I didn't get all of my Friends DVDs ripped to my computer. But I got a heck of a lot of them :) Seasons 1-6 (ish), some of 7, some of 8,
• I am SO so so ready to meet some of the people that I have been communicating with for the past 2 months as we all eagerly learned about each other's lives through Facebook, blogs, even some texting. I'm not used to having "virtual" friends that I've never actually met in real life, so I truly can't wait to meet them tomorrow night and on Monday.
• I arrive into DC around 9 Sunday evening. I'll wait for my PC bama friend Hayley to arrive, and we'll grab our luggage and head to the hotel. Our official PC activities start Monday at noon. FINALLY!!!!
• If you are wanting to send me anything in the mail for the first few months, it will have to be strictly flat envelopes. NO boxes are allowed for the first 3 months we are in Ukraine because we will be with host families and spread throughout different cities...making it too hard to get packages delivered. Here is the address that you would use to send letters, or postcards, or flat envelopes:

U.S. Peace Corps/Ukraine
PCV Lydia Frost, Group 41
111A Saksahanskoho Street
P.O. Box 298,
01030
Kyiv, Ukraine

Корпус Миру США / Україна
PCV Lydia Frost, Група 40
111А-стріт Саксаганського
PO Box 298,
01030
Київ, Україна

It has been suggested to put both the English and Ukrainian on there. (Btw, totally just copied that off of my fellow group 41er's blog. Thanks, Amy!)

Well, I have everything printed, ready to go, just have to throw last minute stuff in my carry-ons. My checked pieces of luggage weigh 44.50 and 44.94 pounds. Right under the line!! You could bet I would use every ounce possible :)

Thank you for all of the support and love. It has been a big journey leading up to tomorrow, and I can't wait for my new adventure to begin! Expect a blog post in DC!

Love, Lydia

PS: Forgot to tell you all my PC resolution! Anyone who knows me, knows that I love pictures. I have always wanted to do the "picture a day" challenge as a new year's resolution...or a sunset a day challenge...but obviously those have never happened. They just didn't feel right. SO, here is my resolution: I want to take a picture every day that I serve in the PC. I think that it would be a great book and montage of memories that I could put in a bound format and have for years to come. And it will also encourage me to upload them onto the blog...which I've kind of been slacking lately. Please please please help me with this challenge! K, toodles :)

Just to give you an update...

It's been a crazy past few days...and as much as I'd like for the next few day to be spent relaxing, I don't see that happening. However, I am trying to have everything moved out of my house tomorrow (Thursday) and settled into my parents house. That would be the only chance that I could "relax" on Saturday :)

Couldn't be doing all of this without the help of my mom and dad...truly.

I know it's a Wednesday, but I'm too tired right now to do my blog post I had intended for today. So maybe tomorrow or Friday. My living room looks like quite a disaster right now, even though I know where everything is and it is organized in MY crazy way. I think just about everything is clean and ready to be packed...I'm now wearing the most random outfits because I only have pieces of a wardrobe left. Quite entertaining.

I've got seasons 1, 4, 5, and part of 10 ripped onto my computer thus far. Going to finish up season 10 hopefully tonight/in the morning...and then I'm going to do a few favorite movies that I can't live without...

Home Alone

Home Alone 2

Italian Job

National Treasure

National Treasure 2

I may need to go purchase Burlesque. I saw it in the theaters and absolutely loved it. And I definitely want to have the Harry Potter movies. Speaking of HP, they do not make any of the Harry Potter series available on Kindle. What in the world?! Do they realize how much money they're missing out on? I was planning on forking over at least $50-75 for the 7 books on Kindle...so who knows how many other people would as well. I have 2 great gift cards for my Kindle thanks to the Crow family and to Miss Ruthie Cole. Can't WAIT to buy some books :) just have to decide which ones...

Thinking about all of my church family that is on the Texico mission trip right now...wishing I were there with y'all! I'd much rather be doing physical work than packing up my stuff!

My dad pointed out to me that I was having my week of lasts...but did I think about all of the firsts that I'd be having as well? My first time to meet all of the new PC Ukraine volunteers. My first time to truly have no clue about the language of the country I'm in (I really am excited to learn another language. I specifically did not want to go to a Spanish speaking country because I knew the language...enough to get by at least!). It will not be my first time to stay with a host family...but it will be my first time to be truly "on my own" with nobody from home right by my side. Call me crazy, but all of that sounds so amazing. I really can't contain my excitement much more. I just want to be on the plane Sunday...but I know it will come soon enough.

This is just a lot of rambling...so I'm going to go ahead and hit the hay. Night night :)

My last Monday in Norman!

It hasn't really hit me yet that this is my last full week in the United States for quite some time. Am I excited? Duh. I just wish I could snap my fingers and have everything done! However, I did get a lot accomplished today with the help of mi madre. We set up a new bank account that will reimburse me for so many ATM fees a month...big selling point. I also got to go to dinner with some of my Interior Design friends...Beth drove all the way from Tulsa, Jenna from Mustang, and Kristen just lives a few miles up the road from me :) It was great to see all of them though and catch up on their lives.

I have been lazy and not feeling like uploading pics to my computer...so I finally decided to do so tonight. Enjoy the picture montage of my trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth a few weekends ago :)

The first thing on the list was dinner with my Construction Science buddies :) Greg, Chase, and Josh (l to r). Josh's wife, Lindsay, also got to come to dinner. Totally failed and didn't get a picture of everyone at dinner. Josh and Lindsay are about to have their first child though...and from what I've seen on the blog, the nursery is going to be ADORABLE :)

This picture of Greg, Chase, and Josh pretty much sums them up. We can never manage to go anywhere without causing a scene...and this was the case that night at dinner as well :) all in good fun though.

Testing out the self-timer on my camera! It took a few attempts but we got it...thank you for being a great host Greggers :)

Saturday lunch was spent with my sweet, sweet interior design friend Casey! I got to see her hubby and new puppy too!

On the front porch of Casey and Collin's house! So cute.

After lunch, I headed to Mitchell's apartment (that I DID NOT GET A PICTURE OF...), where we got ready for a surprise evening. Where did we end up? At Dave and Buster's! Kind of like a Chuck E. Cheese for adults. Pictured above is Kevo :)

Also part of the surprise was my friend Rachel, who lived on my dorm hall freshman year! Here she is with her FIANCE, Alex! These two literally grew up next door to each other...how cute of an engagement story is that?

Rachie and myself :)

And last but not least, the video of one of the games we played. Kevin (of course) knew how to play the game...so we waited until it was just about to win and started taping. I'm off to do another trial run of packing...eek! Wish me luck!

Oh yeah...one more thing. Here's a preview for what Way-Back Wednesday is going to be this week :)

My last week in Norman...a Q & A session.

As I am sitting here listening to my computer whir as it rips a Friends DVD to my computer, I've been asked a heck of a lot of questions this past week or two. So...I figured I would re-post them on here so that others who have wondered the same thought, no longer have to wonder! Please don't be afraid to ask me any questions. Email them to me, text me, facebook me. I will do my best to get it answered! Enjoy :)

Sidenote: this morning was the FIRST time I can remember in a very, very long time to go see a mission trip off at church and not be GOING on the mission trip. However, there were a few pluses to it...like the fact that I came home at 7 am and got back in bed...and got to sleep lying down, as opposed to in a church van seat. That was great :) It was weird not to jump on a van with them, but I can't wait to see what is in store for the 105 people going to south Texas this week.

A Question and Answer Session with Lydia:

1) Do you get paid?

--Yes and no. While in Ukraine, I will have a Ukrainian bank account that gets money deposited in it each month from the government. I believe it's somewhere around $200. This will cover my meals for the month, any types of transportation I need, incidentals, etc. My housing will be covered for me, so I don't have to worry about that. Upon completing my 27 month service, I get a readjustment allowance. This money is used for my discretion however I want. Buying a car, getting settled in a new city, traveling in Europe, whatever. I think when taxes are taken out of it it's somewhere around $5000 for my 2 years of service. Retired PC Volunteers feel free to chime in if you know what the answer is.

2) Are you scared?

--No. I couldn't be more excited. In fact, excited doesn't describe it. Ecstatic is truly the state I'm in. However, I do wish I didn't have to do this last week of getting everything sorted and put away for 2 years. It is incredibly overwhelming to me to think that my house that I have lived in for over 5 years will no longer be mine when I come back. But it also means I get to decorate something new when I come back...which is obviously something I love.

3) What do your parents think of this?

--They've been incredibly supportive since the time I told them I wanted to apply (Thanksgiving 2009), and for that I am eternally thankful. Are they apprehensive? Sure. But they are backing me 110% and I could NOT have made this journey without them. Thanks, Mom and Pops :) And I'm also ecstatic for when they come visit me.

4) What exactly does a youth developer do?

--Great question. I wish I knew the answer to it :) ha. Seriously though, it varies from person to person. There's a chance I could be working at a high school, there's a chance I could work at a community place (I'm picturing a YMCA type thing?). I have no idea. I won't know that until I get to Ukraine and they see what my fortes and weaknesses are.

5) What language do they speak there?

--Ukrainian and Russian. The country is still incredibly divided on the languages they speak. The northern and western parts (generally) speak Ukrainian...while the southern and eastern parts (generally) speak Russian.

6) Which language do you want to learn?

--I really don't care. If I had to pick, probably Ukrainian. This would make my brother happy because if I learned Russian, he would be the only Frost who didn't speak Russian. That is very tempting to be able to rub in his face :) kidding! I also want to learn Ukrainian because the place that I hope to be stationed somewhat near (where I've been before) spoke Ukrainian.

7) Where will you live the entire time?

--Another question I don't have an exact answer to. The first three months are spent in Pre-Service-Training (PST). I will live with a host family outside of Kyiv (the capitol, also spelled Kiev), and be in intense language and cultural classes all day. After the swearing in ceremony, I will be taken to my city that will be home for the next 2 years. That is the part that's still up in the air.

8) Will you have internet?

--Don't know. I will have access to internet more than likely, and may even luck out to have it in my home! Keep your fingers crossed :) the great thing about my kindle? It can check email and facebook for me for FREE (it might take a while, but I'll sit and wait for it to load).

9) What kind of money do they use there?

--The Hryvnia (UAH) is the currency in Ukraine. Things are WAY cheaper there...I can't remember the stats right now. I'll post them later if I can find them!

10) How long ago did you apply?

--The entire application process from the time that I submitted my application to the time that I leave for staging in DC will be right around 1 year....which is what they tell you from the get-go. So they really aren't kidding! Apply earlier than you think you need to.

11) What are you doing this last week that you're in the states?

--I am finishing packing, moving stuff to my parents house (one trip at a time...), hanging out with my parents (I kind of neglected them the past few weeks except when I needed help. Sorry :/), eating my favorite meals (mom's taco salad, panera {which I managed to have 3 times last week}, mom's homemade vegetable beef soup, plenty of sandwiches {goodcents}, etc., doing a trial run of my packing process (that will be an entire post...keep your fingers crossed I don't have 300 pounds of stuff...), maybe painting at my house, and hopefully relaxing a little!

12) I saw that everything was purchased on your wish list...is there anything else I can get you?

--a check or cash is honestly the easiest thing at this moment. There are going to be lots of things I have to purchase upon arriving in Ukraine (a surge protector, a water purifier, etc.)...so rest assured, it will be spent on something useful!

Okay...that's all the questions I can think of right now. I'm sure there are others, but I'm tired and it's late. I need to upload pics tomorrow also...please feel free to leave responses with more questions! Don't be bashful. Night night blogging world... :)